Testimonial Tuesday comes from our athlete Eric Jett. He talks about all the reasons he comes to Performance One. He says, “I first came to Performance One to attend a USAW seminar that Coach Joe was putting on. I had just moved to the Valley, and was looking for a gym as well. Coming from a strength athletics background including powerlifting and strongman, I knew what I was looking for in a place to train. I needed a place with a ton of plates that didn’t mind me dropping them every now and again. The second I walked into the seminar, I knew Performance One was the place for me. I mean, bumper plates everywhere, shouting is encouraged, this is my kind of place! And while I was deadset that I was a strongman/powerlifter, I knew my weightlifting game needed to be stepped up. I knew there wasn’t a better place to do that than Performance One, under the tutelage under a coach like Joe Micela, who has taken athletes to the Olympics. And I was right! Coaches Joe and Craig have helped me tremendously. With their coaching, I have learned the nuances of weightlifting. How to set the back, drive with the legs, how to feel the bar in your hands; all things I thought I knew, but they taught me how little I actually knew. The intricate plan Joe developed specifically for me has helped increase my lifts every time we test. My squat has gone from around 270kg to nearly 300kg in the time I’ve been training at Performance One, my clean and jerk has gone up 20kg, and my snatch has improved by around 30kg. These are improvements I could not see if I was trying to do this by myself. Speaking of “by myself,” you’ll notice at Performance One that the atmosphere is a little different. All the athletes are very encouraging, cheering you on for a big lift, ready to pick you up and give you advice after a missed lift, even video an attempt so you can analyze it later. This is something you definitely won’t see anywhere else. Really the only bad thing about Performance One is that Joe is a Philadelphia Eagles fan. 🙂 lol All of this together make Performance One THE place to train in the Valley.” We appreciate Eric and his honesty.

Here Performance One Weightlifter is Cleaning 155 kilos (341 lbs) in his morning Workout. The first video is the Fourth Set of Four Total Work Sets. He then performs a Drop Set at 135 kilos (297 lbs) for 4 reps. We use Drop Sets to build Muscular Endurance, Speed, and to add more Volume into the Workout.

Former University of Penn Football Player Eric Jett Snatched a Personal Best of 120 kilos on Aug 23rd. Eric is coming from a Strong Man and Powerlifting background into the Sport of Weightlifting. The many years of heavy Strength Training from his previous two disciplines have helped him tremendously in Weightlifting. With more timing, flexibility, and understanding of the movements Eric could be Snatching 140-150 kilos very quickly. Eric has Cleaned 165 kilos thus far with more training and time under the bar he could be Cleaning over 180-190 kilos here before the new year. He finished the night off with an easy 275 kilo (605 lb.) Back Squat at the end of his workout. Eric’s Leg Strength & Lower Back Strength are definitely his Strengths. Flexibility, Experience, and Upper Back Strength are things he needs to work on. Keep it up Eric.

When performing the Snatch High Pull the bar should travel to the bottom of the Sternum. Elbows should be higher than your wrists. Legs should be fully extended. The athlete should be attempting to bring the bar up to them and not their body down to the bar.
This exercise is great for emphasizing keeping the bar in close proximity to the body and full extension of the legs and upper torso. When this movement is practiced and developed the athlete will have better technique and a stronger Second Pull.

Eric Jett is a former College Football Player who has always trained for Strength & Power. After College he has done both Strongman and Powerlifting. He has since set his sights on the sport of Weightlifting and has come to Coach Joe Micela’s Performance One Advanced Sports Training to improve on his skills. Eric’s training today consisted of Cleans, Jerks from the Rack, and Dead Lifts. His Dead Lifts were only supposed to go up to 240 kilos for 3 sets of 3 reps. Feeling extremely good I let him go up. His previous best was 300 kilos He hit 310 & 320 kilos today for a 20 kilo 44 lb improvement since he has been with us. He has only been training less then a month with us.